18 Easy Rituals to Reset Your Home’s Energy This Spring
Spring cleaning usually focuses on what you can see—dust, clutter, overstuffed closets—but what you can’t see is equally important.
“The home is an extension of our energetic field, where we release emotion and are the most vulnerable, intimate version of ourselves. It can quickly accumulate lots of energy, and, just like our bodies, needs a release,” explains Kate Van Horn, an intuitive reader, spiritual mentor, and feng shui consultant. You want it to be an environment that’s springing you forward, rather than tethering you to the past, she adds. Anjie Cho and Laura Morris, feng shui teachers, cofounders of the Mindful Design Feng Shui School, and cohosts of the Holistic Spaces podcast, agree. “What you do in your home can directly impact your personal chi, or energy. And you can also shift your energy by changing the energy of your space,” says Morris of the symbiotic relationship.
Some signs your home’s chi could use a spring clean? Anxiety, feeling unmotivated, and disrupted sleep are all big indicators, according to Van Horn. Seasonal shifts, big life changes, or stressful events are also great opportunities for a reset. But the experts we spoke with were quick to note that there are plenty of simple things you can do every day to simply maintain good energy and well-being. Ahead, some of their favorite energy cleansing rituals for every room in your home.
The Front Entry
“The entryway is very important because it’s considered the mouth of the home where energy or life force enters,” says Van Horn. What happens here can easily spread to the rest of your space, setting the overarching energetic tone, she adds.
Energy clearing strategies:
Start with the obvious: clear any clutter. That jumble of shoes, coats, and bags you’re tripping over when you walk in the door can block more than just your path. “If you’re having trouble moving through the space, so is the energy,” points out Morris.
Next, make sure you’re actually opening your front door daily to maintain a good energetic flow—especially if you typically go in and out of a back or garage door. And keep a broom handy. “In feng shui and many cultures around the world, the act of sweeping and the broom itself are very symbolic,” Morris explains. “You’re clearing out stagnant energy. Connect with the idea of welcoming new opportunities as you sweep out the old and bring in the new,” she says. While this can be done anywhere, it’s especially effective in the entryway.
This area is also key for energetic protection. Cho recommends flanking the front door with a pair of snake plants— their pointed leaves create a protective barrier. As you set the plants in place, set the intention that only what you invite is allowed into your home, she suggests. Van Horn, meanwhile, turns to salt for its cleansing and protective properties. All you have to do is mix up some salt water in a spray bottle and mist your front door and entryway. “Salt is a cross-cultural, ancient purifier. It’s said that there’s nothing sweat, tears, and ocean water can’t fix. Salt just makes us feel good,” she says.
The Living or Family Room
There’s a lot that can build up in your primary living space. You have the energy from all of the different people who gather in the space, as well as from the media we consume while unwinding on the couch. “Voices and energy from the TV, movies, and TikTok videos you’re watching can quickly build up, warranting the need for a deeper cleanse in this central hub,” explains Van Horn.
Energy clearing strategies:
This is where Van Horn taps into smoke, which offers a particularly potent energetic cleanse. You could burn sage or palo santo, but even lighting a candle and setting a focused intention when you blow it out can be just as impactful. “As you blow it out, say, ‘This is extinguishing the energy that was there,’ and picture releasing it through to fire. Or be super specific and speak in a bold, loud voice exactly what needs to go,” she suggests. (For example, if you recently had houseguests with bad juju say, “X person’s energy is no longer welcome here. I release it and replace it with positivity.”)
Morris is a big fan of what she calls an orange peel blessing for high-traffic areas like living or family rooms. “Citrus, and oranges in particular, are very auspicious. They’re shaped like coins, are protective, and the scent carries very positive energy,” she says. Get nine (a powerful number in feng shui) oranges and peel each one into nine pieces. Then, place those 81 pieces of orange peel in a bowl of warm water and massage them, setting an intention or reciting a blessing that resonates with you. “You can then flick this blessed water through the space, focusing on areas like corners or under furniture where energy tends to get trapped, “ Morris says. If that feels like a little too much work, just put nine oranges in a bowl and leave it out in the room, offers Cho.
The Kitchen
The kitchen naturally has a lot of harmonious energy because it brings together multiple elements—fire, water, earth—all in one space, which can feel quite grounding, Van Horn explains. It’s also, quite literally, the place of nourishment. The only issue? Even minor housekeeping neglect (think: counter clutter or dirty dishes in the sink) can prevent those good vibes from flowing freely.
Energy clearing strategies:
Start with some basic cleaning. “Toss the take out that’s been sitting in the back of your fridge for far too long and clear out your pantry. You want to see fresh, vital food every day to reflect the life force of the space,” says Van Horn. Similarly, keep your counters—representative of mental clarity in feng shui—as clear as possible, resisting the urge to let packages, mail, and homework pile up and create energetic blocks.
Next, consider your stove, which represents wealth and resources, says Cho. Make sure it’s clean and that you’re using all of the burners regularly, she advises. Morris likes using the stove to create a “cleansing cauldron”: Boil a pot of water, adding in any botanicals or spices of your choosing (fresh herbs like mint and rosemary are great for spring). “The scent transforms the kitchen chi, and as you watch the steam rise you can also recite intentions, picturing the vapor bringing them up to the heavens,” she says.
The Bathroom
Admittedly one of the more challenging rooms from an energetic perspective, the bathroom has notoriously low vibrations. Multiple drains (the toilet, sink, shower) make it a place where energy can leak out very quickly, notes Van Horn. Morris agrees, but emphasizes a reframe: “Our bathroom is a sanctuary for many of us and where we can cleanse and really reset our energy so we can go out into the world more clearly,” she says.
Energy clearing strategies:
Particularly if your bathroom is attached to your bedroom (and even more so if you can see it from your bed), keep the door closed. The same goes for the toilet seat. “Energy gravitates towards it and can be drained out. Keeping the door and toilet closed blocks that possibility,” Van Horn explains.
Bringing in a plant is also wildly beneficial. “Plants have the ability to transmute energy, reversing it from one that’s draining to one that’s upward moving and growing,” Morris explains. No windows or natural light to help keep said plant alive? Incorporate green tones as an alternative.
The Bedroom
Modern life has rendered the bedroom a veritable catch-all and multipurpose space, where we not only sleep but also socialize, work, workout—you name it. “So many of us overdo it when the bedroom is meant to be very simple,” notes Van Horn. It’s extremely absorbent, energetically speaking: “Carpeting, linens, the mattress, all of these things really soak up energy,” she points out.
Energy clearing strategies:
To that point, the calmer and less activated you are while you’re in your bedroom, the better. Van Horn advises removing the TV and any excess piles of books, all of which carry too much “chatty” energy. This is a great place to focus on carpet or rug cleaning, too. “The floor relates to the root chakra, our sense of security and safety. If you have area rugs, take them outside and beat them regularly,” she says. Otherwise, make sure you’re vacuuming wall-to-wall carpeting as often as possible.
To reset the room, Cho suggests opening any doors and windows. Take a moment to let the energy come in, then walk around the bedroom nine times (again, it’s a powerful number in feng shui) setting your intended intention for the space. You can also add a bouquet of fragrant flowers, suggests Morris. Scent is one of the easiest and fastest ways to change up the energy, especially if it feels stuck or you’ve been feeling sad. (FYI, this applies for your entire home.)
The Home Office
Whether it’s its own dedicated room or just a corner in an existing space, there’s plenty of opportunity to charge this area full of positive energy, creativity, and abundance, notes Van Horn. That being said, Zoom culture poses a unique challenge. The energy from people whom you might never have had in your home otherwise is now entering your space, Cho points out, underscoring the importance of creating an energetic boundary to keep this out.
Energy clearing strategies:
To create said energetic boundary, get four black stones (tourmaline or shungite work well), and place one in each corner of your desk or in every corner of a desk drawer. “Black absorbs unwanted energy, so you’re setting up a grid preventing whatever comes in through Zoom from getting into the rest of your home,” Cho explains.
Continuing the theme of work-life balance, Morris advises incorporating sound. Use something metallic, like a bell or singing bowl, since metal energy correlates with completion and productivity, she says. Ring it nine times at the start of your work day or before embarking on a big project, visualizing your tasks completed with ease, and nine times once you’re done.
Looking to bring in more money? Van Horn recommends focusing on the back left corner of your desk, AKA the wealth corner. Make sure it’s very well lit and add an amethyst or citrine crystal, both of which are good for abundance and creativity, she says.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, how (and when) you choose to reset the energy of your space is a matter of personal preference that should be rooted in what feels good and natural. It shouldn’t feel overwhelming or become yet another task on your never-ending to-do list. And it doesn’t need to be complicated or overly extensive: “If you have the right intentions, you can make anything a beautiful, energetic ceremony—be that cleaning your kitchen, sweeping your floors, or setting out a beautiful bouquet of flowers,” says Morris.
Van Horn echoes this philosophy. “You can do a whole house reset seasonally, in line with a moon cycle, or before and after a big change,” she says. But you can also easily incorporate some of these tips into your everyday life with what she calls “ritual stacking.” “If you already have a routine, like vacuuming on a certain day, all you have to do is just add a little intention while you’re doing so,” she notes.
“We’re constantly in relationship with our home, and that’s compounded because we spend so much time there. Energy quickly builds up, but it can also be shifted just as easily,” Van Horn points out. Ultimately, while a big spring cleaning is great, it’s the daily upkeep and smaller day-to-day tasks that actually keep your house clean—and the same applies energetically.